Time Of Your Life II: Love Or Lust?
by ijnfleetadmiral
Summary: Will a new arrival to the RAW roster spell trouble for the newlyweds? Mickie James / OC
1. Chapter 1: Trouble Arrives

**Disclaimer:** Don't own WWE or any of the wrestlers. If I did own the franchise, my life would be a helluva lot better than it currently is. The only characters I own are Armistead and Corbin Taylor.

**Time of Your Life II: Love or Lust?**

**Chapter One: Trouble Arrives**

Luke Armistead sat in the empty arena, his guitar in his lap, and closed his eyes, savoring the temporary quiet as he idly strummed the guitar strings. He thought a moment before smiling and starting to play one of his favorite Merle Haggard songs, his Southern accent making his voice sound all the more like the country legend's.

"_The first thing I remember knowin', was a lonesome whistle blowin', and a youngun's dream of growin' up to ride. On a freight train leavin' town, not knowin' where I'm bound, and no one could change my mind, but Mama Tried._

_The one and only Rebel child, from a family meek and mild, my Mama seemed to know what lay in store. Spite o' all my Sunday learnin', towards the bad I kept on turnin', 'til Mama couldn't hold me anymore._

_And I turned twenty-one in prison, doin' life without parole. No one could steer me right, but Mama Tried, Mama Tried...Mama Tried to raise me better, but her pleading I denied; that leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama Tried_."

He played the musical intermission, getting lost in the song before starting the second verse.

"_Dear ol' Daddy, rest his soul, left my Mom a heavy load. She tried so very hard to fill his shoes. Workin' hours without rest, wanted me to have the best, she tried to raise me right, but I refused._

_And I turned twenty-one in prison, doin' life without parole. No one could steer me right, but Mama Tried, Mama Tried...Mama Tried to raise me better, but her pleading I denied; that leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama Tried_."

He played the ending chords, letting them fade away in the silence, which was suddenly broken by single-person applause. He glanced toward the end of the ramp and grinned at seeing his wife of four months, Mickie James-Armistead, standing there. Armistead rose from his seat and set his guitar on the other side of the barrier before sitting on it, swiveling his legs over, picking up his guitar, and walking over to his wife.

"Enjoy the concert, Darlin'?" he asked, and Mickie smiled.

"You know I love it when you sing."

"But don't look for me to put out an album," her husband replied, as they headed backstage. "John's the musician in the WWE family."

"As long you still sing for me," Mickie told him, and Armistead nodded before grinning at her.

"As long you keep handy the cheerleader outfit you wore in that photo shoot."

Mickie smacked his arm and giggled. "Shut up, you perverted goofball."

"What?" Armistead complained as they headed to their locker room. "I think it's a fair trade."

Mickie's laughter echoed down the hall.

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Later that evening, Armistead strolled into the regular locker room to see several other members of the RAW roster talking to someone he'd never seen before.

"Hey, Luke," Triple H greeted, "come meet the new blood."

Armistead wandered over and introduced himself.

"Corbin Taylor," the young man replied.

"Excited to be here?" Armistead asked, and the young man nodded.

"Hell yeah...I can't wait for my first match." Taylor paused briefly before grinning at the room in general. "All right, guys...gimme the heads-up: which of those beautiful ladies out there are available?"

"Not many," Jeff Hardy muttered from across the room.

"Let's narrow it down," Triple H offered helpfully, in an effort to stave off any potential locker-room conflicts. "Which one caught your attention the most?"

"The Women's Champ, of course," Taylor grinned. "She's exactly my type. Mickie James, I think her name is?"

Most eyes in the locker room turned to Armistead.

"James-_Armistead_, actually," the Richmond Rebel replied, waving his left hand in the air to show off his wedding ring.

"Oh..." Taylor seemed surprised initially, but a thoughtful look soon came over his face.

After conversing with several other members of the RAW roster for a few minutes, Armistead left for his own locker room, and completely missed Taylor look at his back with a conceited smirk and mutter under his breath,

"Married, huh? Well, I always did love a challenge..."

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Armistead headed down the hall and pushed open the door to his locker room, smiling as he saw his beautiful wife sitting on the sofa, dressed in her wrestling gear and text-messaging on her cell phone. Mickie looked up and smiled as Armistead entered.

"Hey."

Armistead leaned down and kissed his wife.

"Got a new guy on the roster," he told her, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I saw him earlier. He's a lot like Chris Masters was...full of himself and thinking he's God's gift to women everywhere."

"Just watch out for him," Armistead warned, causing Mickie to shake her head and smile exasperatedly at him.

"He seems like a harmless flirt, Luke...don't pay any attention to him."

Armistead snorted contemptuously.

"He's gonna flirt his way right into a Stuka-Cross combo, the STFU, a Pedigree, or a Twist of Fate if he ain't careful. Not to many guys like others flirting with their girlfriends or wives."

Mickie rolled her eyes and got to her feet.

"It's cute the way you worry about me," She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly. "Trust me, babe...you're stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere."

She released Armistead and headed for the locker room door.

"You just said you weren't going anywhere!" Armistead griped jokingly, causing his wife to laugh.

"I'm in the first match tonight...I've got to get to the gorilla position."

Armistead smiled and wished Mickie luck in her match as she headed out the door.

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Two hours later, Armistead was feeling pretty good. His match with Kofi Kingston against Chris and Randy had brought down the house. Randy had set Kofi up for an RKO seconds before Armistead threw Chris into the steel ringpost, taking him out, and then climbed onto the top turnbuckle and performed a Stuka-Cross combo on the Legend Killer, sliding out of the ring before the ref even knew what had happened and allowing Kofi to roll Randy up for the win.

After celebrating their victory in the ring while Chris and Randy staggered to the back and RAW went off the air, Jeff and Luke headed backstage as well.

"Great match, mon...thanks for de save." Kofi clapped Armistead on the shoulder before heading off down the hall.

"Yeah, but could you warn me next time before you do that Stuka combo move of yours? Damn," Randy muttered, rubbing his forehead as he headed for his own locker room.

"Nice hit off the ringpost, Reb," Chris Jericho groaned as he passed by Armistead. "I feel like I've been hit by a bus."

At that moment, RAW's newest Diva, Kelly Kelly, approached them. Seeing Y2J's bedraggled state, she immediately went over to him and took his arm.

"Come on, Chris...I'll help you to the locker room."

Armistead looked at Chris with a _'What's this?'_ expression on his face. Y2J simply shrugged and gave Armistead a goofy grin as if to say, _'I dunno, but I like it!'_

Armistead shook his head and headed down the hall himself. He was almost to his locker room when he noticed movement down one of the more dimly-lit hallways. A few moments later, his wife emerged from the shadows looking somewhat unsettled, with a slight blush on her cheeks.

To Armistead's surprise, Corbin Taylor sauntered out of the darkness a few seconds behind Mickie, a pleased smirk on his face.

"What's going on here?" Armistead demanded, starting toward Taylor, but Mickie grabbed his arm.

"It's nothing, Luke...he cornered me, but I put a stop to it. Nothing happened."

Taylor scoffed.

"Please...it's not like you weren't begging for it." He glanced at Armistead and grinned evilly. "I like a challenge, Rebel, and your wife is the epitome of one."

Armistead briefly saw red, but Mickie's presence kept him from putting the arrogant bastard through a wall. He glowered at Taylor.

"A word of advice, sir...don't start trouble you can't handle."

Taylor smirked at him. "Guess that leaves the entire roster open, doesn't it?" He glanced at Mickie. "See you around, gorgeous."

As he turned to leave, Armistead reached out, grabbed his arm, and fixed him with a frigid glare.

"Don't play with fire, Newbie...you won't like the results."

Taylor burst out laughing and jerked his arm loose before walking down the hall. After a few paces he stopped, glanced back at Armistead, and burst out laughing again before shaking his head and continuing on.

Armistead turned back to Mickie. "You all right, Darlin'?"

Mickie nodded. "Let's just get changed and head to the club to meet everyone else...I wanna forget I ever met him."

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The ride to the club was made in silence; Mickie was apparently feeling guilty about the compromising position she'd let herself be caught in, while Armistead was racking his brain in an effort to let her know everything was all right between them and that he trusted her fully.

After Armistead got his car keys back from the valet, the couple headed inside the club and back to a VIP area, where most of the WWE roster was sitting. Almost immediately, Mickie headed over to the group of Divas, while Armistead joined the guys around another table.

"So Luke," John Cena asked, " What do you think about the new guy on the roster?"

Armistead's expression darkened considerably as he told the group of his and Mickie's encounter with Taylor.

"We need to watch him around the Divas...he doesn't seem like the type to take 'no' for an answer," Armistead finished.

He glanced at the various faces around the table, and there seemed to be a general consensus that the Divas were off-limits to Corbin Taylor. Looks of determination were prevalent on the faces of those married to or dating a RAW Diva, while the SmackDown! group appeared somewhat relieved that such a guy wasn't part of their roster.

"He comes near 'Ria, he's dead," John stated.

"Same goes for Candice," Jeff stated.

"Watch over Lillian for me, will you, guys?" Dave Batista asked. "Let me know if he tries anything with her...I'd be happy to surprise him on RAW if he does."

Chris Jericho wasn't saying anything, but Armistead could tell he was thinking about what he would do if Taylor tried anything with a certain blonde Diva.

After a brief silence, conversation turned to other matters, and eventually the Divas starting coming over, dragging the superstars onto the dance floor. After three hours or so had gone by, Armistead was starting to worry about his wife. She'd had about six or so strong alcoholic drinks - Armistead wasn't exactly sure what they were - and was starting to act very inebriated.

"I think I'd better get you back to the hotel, Darlin'," he spoke in Mickie's ear so he could be heard over the noise of the club.

His wife grinned flirtatiously up at him, her gaze glassy from the effects of alcohol.

"You wanna go have fun, don'tcha?" she slurred, and Armistead rolled his eyes.

"No, we have an early flight, and you're going to have a massive hangover as it is. I just thought you'd like some sleep before we had to get on the plane."

Mickie shook her head. "Nuh-uhhh...when we get back to the hotel, we're not gonna go sleep...we're gonna have some fuuuunnnn!"

"Whatever you say, Darlin'," Armistead replied, "let's go."

"Waitta minute," his wife stated. "I need go potty 'fore we go."

Armistead nodded, and watched as Mickie staggered across the club and into the women's restroom. He headed back to the group and told them he and Mickie were leaving, and was still waiting for his wife five minutes later when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to come face-to-face with the World Heavyweight Champion, Edge, who grabbed his arm and dragged him across the dance floor toward the restrooms.

"What do you want, Adam?" Armistead asked, not really in the mood for Edge's boasting and superior attitude. He smirked. "I ain't goin' in the bathroom with you; I don't go that way, and I never knew you did either."

The World Heavyweight Champ stopped in his tracks, turned, and glowered at Armistead.

"Listen, Rebel, under normal circumstances I'd take great pleasure in showing someone something like this, but I know for a fact this is serious. Look."

Armistead gazed in the direction Edge was pointing, and his world crashed when he saw his wife leaning against the wall outside the ladies' restroom, making out with a guy like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Edge said, and Armistead was surprised to note he actually sounded sincere.

"What're you sorry for, Adam?" Triple H came up beside them, followed by Shawn, Kofi, John and Maria, Jeff and Candice, Matt and Ashley, Dave and Lillian, Randy and Stacy, Chris and Kelly, and Phil and Torrie.

Armistead merely jerked his head toward the restrooms.

"I'd go over there and break that up, but I seem to be frozen in place. But that's a good thing because I think if I laid hands on the guy, I'd be arrested for first-degree murder."

The group of superstars and Divas turned and looked in the direction Armistead indicated, and many a jaw dropped.

"What the fuck?!" John yelled.

"Aw, man..." Jeff muttered.

"Oh, shit!" Matt exclaimed.

"Uh-oh..." Chris trailed off.

Dave merely lowered his gaze and shook his head, while Randy and Phil winced. DX didn't say a word, they simply started in that direction. When they reached Mickie, Hunter pulled the guy off her and threw him in Shawn's direction, where he ran right into some Sweet Chin Music and crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes as the rest of the group ran over.

As everyone crowded around, Hunter leaned down and raised the guy's head off the floor so they could see who it was: Corbin Taylor.

"Fucking bastard!" John snarled barely restraining himself from kicking Taylor's unconscious form in the ribs.

Mickie's rambling broke through the mutterings of the guys as she frantically tried to explain to her fellow Divas.

"He used a Southern accent...I thought he was Luke...I thought he was Luke!"

All eyes turned to Armistead, who was standing at the edge of the crowd gazing at Mickie, a completely blank expression on his face. Without a word, the Richmond Rebel turned away and walked out out of the club, leaving a group of superstars giving each other worried glances and a group of Divas trying to calm a hysterical one of their own.


	2. Chapter 2: A Plan Is Formed

**Disclaimer:** Don't own WWE or any of the wrestlers. If I did own the franchise, my life would be a helluva lot better than it currently is. The only characters I own are Armistead, Traveler, Lady, Cap'n Jack, and Corbin Taylor.

**Chapter Two: A Plan Is Formed**

It didn't come as a surprise that Armistead missed the following two house shows. Vince revealed to the roster that the Richmond Rebel had gone back to Richmond after requesting a week off to deal with 'family issues', a statement that caused Mickie to run out of the room in tears, the Divas to head off after her, and most of the male roster to look at each other uncomfortably.

Corbin Taylor was transferred temporarily to ECW when Vince heard what had happened, and had wisely decided not to attend the day's meeting. He also appeared to have enough sense to know when to back off, and hadn't approached Mickie or any of the other Divas even passing.

Now, after managing to calm Mickie down again, the girls managed to convince her to go back to the couple's Richmond home, talk to her husband, and try to straighten things out. The Divas piled into Lillian's and Maria's rental cars and headed out to the Armistead residence. After their marriage, the couple had moved into Luke's house, a sprawling two-story property on 1.5 acres, complete with private pond.

"Nice place, Mickie," Kelly Kelly commented, as the girls piled out of the cars.

Mickie smiled weakly. "I just hope I'm still welcome here after what happened."

The Divas entered the house and headed into the den, but found it empty save for the heavy iron cage containing Cap'n Jack. The parrot, upon seeing the group of women, whistled loudly and began running up and down his perch, bobbing his head.

"Go daddy! Go daddy!" he yelled, causing Maria, Candice, Torrie, and Kelly Kelly to giggle.

"Nice bird," Kelly Kelly told Mickie, causing Cap'n Jack to look at her and whistle.

"Blondes have more fun!" the bird squawked, and Mickie rolled her eyes as the others burst out laughing.

"Wonder what else Luke's taught him," Maria giggled.

Cap'n Jack turned at the sound of her voice, looked at her, and whistled. "Redhead...oooh, feisty!"

Maria gaped in surprise at the bird's statement and Ashley giggled, causing the parrot to look at her. "Rock on, baby!" he called and then cackled.

Mickie shook her head and headed into the kitchen. After a thorough search of the house yielded neither Luke nor Lady, she glanced out the window and saw the distant form of her husband lounging on the bench they'd placed beside the pond, Lady lying on the grass at his feet. Steadying her emotions, she led the group outside before she lost her nerve.

As they approached the pond, the others were surprised to hear the sound of a guitar being played.

"Luke plays guitar?" Ashley asked, surprised, and Mickie nodded, smiling fondly.

"He sings, too...I love to listen to him."

The group stopped some distance away as Armistead began singing. Mickie's heart sank when she heard what he was singing, Chris Perez Band's _Best I Can_, a song he'd originally attributed to how he'd felt about his ex-girlfriend Kirsten.

_"When I thought I had your heart to keep forever. Now I live with how it is...nothing lasts, never. I'm never in a place for too much time, tryin' to leave my troubles far behind. Everything I did, I did for you...now there's nothing left for me to do. I'm never gonna fall in love again the way I love you. You know it's so damn hard letting go..._

_Standin' here, holdin' my heart in my hands...yes I am. Tryin' to live every day the Best I Can...yeah. You know it's so damn hard letting go...of you._

_Every day's a brand-new start of a pain never-ending. I can't erase this lonely heart that keeps on remembering. Every day I live, I live with you, and with all the things we'll never do. Heaven holds a place for souls like mine, tryin' to leave my troubled past behind. You know it's so damn hard letting go..._

_Standin' here, holdin' my heart in my hands...yes I am. Tryin' to live every day the Best I Can...yeah. You know it's so damn hard letting go...it's so damn hard letting go...of you."_

Armistead finished playing the song and set his guitar beside him. Lady sat up, laid her head on his knee, and whined softly. The Richmond Rebel lovingly scratched her ears as he sighed and gazed out at the pond.

Neither the dog nor her master noticed their audience. Once the song was over, Mickie simply turned away and headed back to the car. The rest of the Divas followed, several of them wiping away tears. The ride back to the hotel was a silent one. Mickie sat staring straight ahead, not speaking, a blank look on her face, the fingers of her right hand idly stroking the two rings on her left hand.

Once they reached the hotel, the group headed up to Candice and Jeff's room, where Candice kicked Jeff out, telling him to round up the guys and go see Armistead. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior did as ordered, knowing this was no time to argue.

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Armistead rode through the grounds of the J.E.B. Stuart Riding Club, feeling like he was flying. A long ride with Traveler was just the thing he needed. During the ride, he'd come up with a brilliant plan to get rid of Corbin Taylor for good. As he approached the straw dummy he'd brought with him for a round of target practice, he found Hunter, Shawn, John, Jeff, Matt, Chris, Phil, Dave, and Kofi all standing beside it.

"What's this, a convention?" he joked, coming to a stop in front of them.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Chris Jericho indicated Armistead's outfit, a Civil War Confederate Lieutenant General's uniform.

"My usual ridin' outfit," Armistead replied, as though he thought nothing of his attire.

"The girls sent us to talk to you," Jeff began. "We went out to the house, but since you weren't there, we had to go back to the hotel and ask Mickie if she had any idea where you might be. We took a chance and tried here first."

"How is she?" Armistead asked, patting Traveler's neck. The stallion nickered in response.

Triple H and Shawn smiled at Armistead's question, knowing that if the Richmond Rebel was asking how the Women's Champ was, then he must still care for her on some level. Armistead saw the look on their faces and laughed softly.

"Look, gentlemen...I'm not gonna deny I was deeply hurt at what I saw, but now I know it was simply a case of mistaken identity. There's nothing for me to even forgive her for."

"So put the horse away and come take her home!" John exclaimed, but Armistead shook his head.

"Not yet...I kinda like the mindset she's in right now." At the incredulous looks from his friends, he held up his hand. "See, I imagine she's thinking I'm getting ready to serve her with divorce papers on the count of infidelity. This ties in perfect with my plan."

"What plan?" Matt Hardy asked uncertainly.

Armistead smiled a cold smile. "The plan to make Corbin Taylor pay for ever even thinking of laying a hand on my gorgeous wife. It's a very simple plan, but I'm going to string it out. I'm taking a sabbatical, and I'll probably come back after Wrestlemania."

"So you're gonna let dat snake in de grass slide and leave your beautiful lady hanging for near six weeks, mon?" Kofi demanded.

Armistead scoffed. "Hardly, sir. Let's just say I'll be with you all leading up to Wrestlemania, but in spirit only." While his friends looked at each other as if to say, _'What the hell is he talking about?'_, Armistead continued.

"And as to how I'm gonna deal with Corbin Taylor, here's the basic principle my plan entails." With that, he let out a Rebel yell and galloped off for a distance, before turning around and charging right at the straw dummy the superstars were standing by. As he neared it, he drew his Confederate cavalry saber and sliced at the dummy as he went by, chopping its head cleanly off and making his friends thankful they weren't currently on his shit list.

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Armistead walked into Vince McMahon's outer office feeling fairly good. He'd requested a meeting with the WWE Chairman and his daughter, who had to approve all storyline ideas.

He entered the inner office when asked to, and shook hands with the Chairman, who welcomed him warmly.

"How are you holding up, Luke?" Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley asked as they shook hands.

"Just fine, thank you," Armistead replied. "Actually, my situation with Mickie has a great deal to do with why I asked for this meeting."

With that, he laid out his plan, and when he finished, he waited for his audience's reaction.

"Luke, I have to admit you've certainly given this a lot of thought," Vince stated calmly, before banging his hand on the conference table. "It's genius...I love it!"

Stephanie smiled at Armistead. "If you ever decide to retire from wrestling, Luke, come see me for a job in Creative Talent...this is some great material. Believe it or not, I was just thinking about a storyline for you going into 'Mania, and now I have it."

Armistead handed her sketches he'd made for his new costume, and Stephanie grinned at him. "Damn, Luke...this guy looks positively evil!" She showed the sketches to her father, who smiled broadly.

"You seem to have thought of everything! I like that in my employees."

"If it's at all possible, I'd like this kept secret from the rest of the roster, that way the surprise is complete," Armistead replied, to which both McMahons nodded readily, seeing the benefits of such a deal.

With that done, Armistead brought up the last item he wanted to address. "I'd also like one person in particular to introduce my new character, as sorts of a brief surprise appearance on RAW, if that's also possible. I'll even ask him myself."

When he told them who said person was, Vince slapped his hand against the table again. "Brilliant! If he agrees, you've got it!"

The rest of the meeting was spent working out the fine points, but Armistead left the Chairman's office knowing one thing for certain: Corbin Taylor's days in the WWE were numbered. As he walked to his car, Armistead pulled out his cell phone and dialed a rarely-used number.

"Hey, it's Luke Armistead...could we meet someplace and talk? I wanna run something by you."


	3. Chapter 3: The SOD

**Disclaimer:** Don't own WWE or any of the wrestlers. If I did own the franchise, my life would be a helluva lot better than it currently is. The only characters I own are Armistead, Corbin Taylor, and The S.O.D..

**Chapter Three: The S.O.D.**

As it came closer to Wrestlemania XXV, Mickie found she had little time in which to think about her marital problems; she'd been informed she had a match at Wrestlemania against Beth Phoenix for the Women's Title, and was forced to focus on that instead. The fact that Vince had informed them all that Luke had been detached 'on loan' to All-Japan Pro Wrestling until after Wrestlemania didn't help matters, either, thereby depriving her of any opportunity to even attempt to resolve their differences.

Now, with only three episodes remaining until the 'Super Bowl of Wrestling', the RAW roster was in Detroit for their regular Monday night show. The last match on the card was a six-person mixed tag-team match: Glamarella and Corbin Taylor versus Mickie James, Kofi Kingston, and Jeff Hardy. Predictably, Glamarella managed to cheat to win, with Beth clobbering Mickie from behind with the Women's title before slipping out of the ring and strolling up the ramp with a smug smirk on her face.

As she did this - despite the ref trying to keep them away from each other - Corbin and Santino teamed up on Kofi and Jeff. Corbin laid Kofi out, but Santino fell to a Whisper in the Wind from Jeff, who rolled the other half of Glamarella out of the ring and went after him with a vengeance to the cheers of the crowd, leaving a dazed Mickie in the ring with Corbin Taylor, who smirked evilly and walked over to the ropes to grab a microphone before heading in her direction. The helpless Women's Champ dragged herself into one of the corners and used the ropes to pull herself up as Corbin stopped in front of her.

"A few weeks ago, Mickie, we had a little moment together, but we were rudely interrupted by that fool you call a husband...Luke Armistead."

The crowd cheered wildly at the mention of Armistead's name, and Mickie smiled at them in response. Corbin Taylor was not amused as he turned to the crowd.

"But if you all will notice, the 'Richmond Rebel' - he emphasized Luke's nickname sarcastically - hasn't been seen on this show for a week. Apparently he's realized that a better man...me," - he smirked as he said this, and the crowd booed him loudly - "has won out. So, how about a little victory kiss?"

Taylor moved in to take what he wanted, and was about to get it when suddenly, the lights in the arena went out, and simultaneously a tell-tale gong sounded, causing the crowd to jump to its feet, cheering wildly.

When the lights came back up, there stood The Undertaker, fixing both Taylor and Mickie with his trademark intense stare. For once, Taylor had the sense not to act conceited, and merely stared at The Phenom. Mickie's eyes were wide as dinner plates; this was one person she'd never expected to see.

The Undertaker reached over and grabbed Taylor's microphone. The younger man wisely relenquished it without any fuss.

"Corbin Taylor," The Undertaker's chilling voice boomed throughout the arena. "you have tried to take something that is not yours, and will never be yours. The heart of the young woman you lust after belongs to the one she loves."

The Phenom turned his gaze to the Women's Champion. "Mickie James," he began, "a few weeks ago, you made a mistake, one that your husband knows the circumstances of and has decided to forget about. He is unable to be with you right now, but rest assured he has forgiven you and will return soon. Corbin Taylor," - he turned back to the young man who was now glowering blackly at him - "your actions have brought you to the attention of one who is more powerful than I. He has sworn to make you pay for what you have done to this young woman. I have triumphed over many, but even I bow before The Son of Darkness. I would let you Rest In Peace...he will make you Burn In Hell."

The lights went out again, and when they came back up, The Undertaker was gone, leaving Taylor and Mickie in the center of the ring, looking around, bewildered. Suddenly, the lights went out again, and then a huge tongue of fire shot down from the ceiling above center ring, making Mickie jump and Taylor raise his hands to block the intense heat. The flame died out after a brief moment and after another brief period of darkness, the lights came back on.

The individual standing in center ring looked like something out of a horror movie. He wore black boots and pants, and had chain links for a belt. His upper body was bare, and painted scarlet red. His facial features looked like Darth Maul from _Star Wars: Episode One_, with blazing yellow eyes flashing a cold gaze, and his shoulder-length jet-black hair was tied together at the base of his skull in a tight ponytail.

Mickie took one look at him and screamed, and Taylor seemed paralyzed with fright. Before either of them could move, the hellish-looking wrestler grabbed Taylor and laid him out with a Tombstone Piledriver as the crowd cheered him on. This done, he rose to his feet and looked down at Taylor's prone form,. When he spoke, his voice sounded like it came out of the Tenth Level of Hell.

"Two weeks, Corbin Taylor."

He then turned his cold yellow gaze on the terrified Women's Champ. He walked over and trapped her in the corner, gazing down at her with an intense stare while Mickie bit back frightened tears.

"Two weeks, Mickie James."

He smiled a hideously evil smile and his ghoulish laugh echoed through the arena as the lights went out a third time, followed by another tongue of fire. When they came back up, Mickie was alone in the ring, save for a still-unconscious Corbin Taylor. Not wasting any time, the Women's Champ slid out of the ring and ran to the back, terrified out of her mind.

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Backstage, the locker rooms were in an uproar. All the superstars and Divas had crowded around the television in the guys' locker room, and were watching the debut of RAW's newest talent with mixtures of revulsion, shock, fright, and awe.

The locker room door suddenly banged open and Mickie ran in, shaking so hard with fright she could barely walk. DX, Maria, Candice, and Kelly Kelly ran over to her, and she clung to Hunter as she burst into tears. The others sat there awkwardly, before the silence was broken by Carlito.

"Man...am I glad I'm not you," he stated, causing everyone to turn and glower at him, and John, Chris, and Randy to all smack him upside the head.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Jeff asked, bewildered. "He kinda looked like a beefed-up version of The Boogeyman."

"Yeah, but The Boogeyman's never done shit 'Taker's famous for," John put in. "This new guy's serious business. I don't say this about many people, but I wouldn't want to look across the ring and see him in the opposite corner."

"No shit," Chris muttered.

"Taylor appears to be his only target at the moment, and for that I say more power to him," Randy stated.

The group fell silent after that remark, save for Mickie's sniffling. All withdrew into their own thoughts, each wondering who the new talent was.

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After Detroit, it was off to Chicago, and as RAW began, everyone started looking for signs that the demonic superstar that was now known as the 'S.O.D.' was in the building.

As for Mickie, she grew noticeably jumpier as the night went on, and throughout her match she appeared to be a nervous wreck. Thankfully, it was a tag match with Kelly Kelly against Beth and Jillian, and her partner understandingly wrestled the majority of the time. After picking up the win, both the blonde and the Women's Champion glanced uncertainly around for any signs of flames or dimming lights, but thankfully there were none to be found.

Corbin, however, wasn't so lucky. His match was against Kofi, who wanted a rematch after being attacked the previous week. The Jamaican was able to easily pick up the win after Taylor appeared distracted, and quickly slipped out of the ring, leaving Taylor incensed at his newest defeat. The defeated rookie headed over to the corner and motioned for a microphone. Receiving one, he headed back across the ring, and yelled up the ramp.

"This isn't over, Kofi Kingston...I was distracted tonight, so your win here was nothing more than a fluke! You'll pay for humiliating me tonight, don't you wor -"

He was cut off in mid-sentence when the lights went out and a huge tongue of flame shot down from the ceiling into center ring, making the fans go wild. Backstage, the minute this happened, Mickie started shaking uncontrollably and shaking her head rapidly.

When the lights came back up, The Son of Darkness was in center ring, glaring at Taylor. The young man - incensed at being interrupted - foolishly rushed the demonic-looking wrestler.

"Stuuupiiid," Chris Jericho muttered in a singsong voice as he and the rest of the RAW roster watched backstage. Everyone cringed as the S.O.D. caught Taylor by the throat and performed a chokeslam that visibly shook the ring.

The Son of Darkness straightened up and stared down at Taylor's prone form.

"One week, Corbin Taylor," he stated, and then glanced up the ramp toward backstage, one of the cameras zooming in on his face so he was looking and speaking directly into it.

"One week, Mickie James," he finished, and then gave another hideous smile and horrible laugh before the lights went out and another tongue of fire marked his exit. When the lights came back up, he was gone, but his laughter continued to echo briefly through the arena as RAW went off the air.

As soon as Mickie heard the S.O.D. address her, she screamed and started crying again, running out of the locker room and down the hall, locking herself in a stall in the women's restroom and refusing to come out. Her fellow superstars looked at each other worriedly, not even wanting to guess what next week's show would bring.

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The following week, RAW kicked off live in Des Moines, Iowa. Predictably, Mickie was a basket case the entire night, just waiting for the yellow-eyed psychopath to make his inevitable appearance.

Mickie had just scored a pinfall against Beth Phoenix and was glaring at the # 1 Contender for her title as the Glamazon walked backward up the ramp, shouting threats, when Corbin Taylor's entrance theme suddenly blared through the arena and the crowd jumped to its feet, booing as Taylor headed down to the ring, an intense, purposeful look on his face.

Once inside the ring, he motioned for a microphone, and when he'd been handed one, he strode to the center of the ring and glared out at the audience.

"For the past two weeks on this show, I've been the victim of vicious, unwarranted attacks by the -" he put sarcastic quotes around the name "- Son of Darkness. Each week, after he's laid me out in one way or another, he's told me we're one week closer to something, and this week, I'm supposedly gonna find out what it is, so come on, S.O.D., let's hear it!" he yelled, walking over to the ropes and yelling backstage.

Mickie simply huddled in a corner of the ring, not wanting to be anywhere near Taylor when the demonic wrestler finally showed himself. She didn't have long to wait, for seconds after Taylor made his demand, the lights went out and a tongue of fire blazed down from the ceiling in center ring. When the fire went out and the lights came back up, there Taylor's nemesis stood, fixing Taylor with an intense, evil stare.

"Corbin Taylor," his evil voice addressed the young man in question, "you have tried to take something that doesn't belong to you. So, this Sunday, at Wrestlemania XXV, I challenge you to a match with the following deal: the loser must leave the WWE forever, never to return."

The Son of Darkness turned on Mickie, who was watching him with terrified eyes. "Mickie James, you have been living in terror of me the past three weeks. I offer you this deal for the match between myself and Corbin Taylor: If he wins, I leave you alone forever. If I win..." - he trailed off briefly before grinning evilly at her - "I get your soul!"

The Women's Champ shook her head rapidly, but before she could speak, Taylor piped up, "It's a deal!"

Mickie whirled on Taylor indignantly. "Wait a second, you can't just -"

"DONE!" The Son of Darkness boomed. "Corbin Taylor, this Sunday, you will Burn In Hell." He paused a second before adding four words that made the crowd go ballistic. "HELL IN A CELL!"

Taylor's face turned a sickly pale, while Mickie's heart sank in her chest. While the prospect of Taylor going through such a match didn't seem like a bad idea at all, she also knew what would happen if he lost.

The Son of Darkness looked at the two of them and laughed his signature laugh before the lights went out and he vanished in a tongue of fire, leaving Mickie and Taylor to freak out in the middle of the ring as RAW went off the air.


	4. Chapter 4: The Grandest Stage Of All

**Disclaimer:** See preceding chapters.

**Author's Note:** Sorry I didn't clarify this to begin with, but this story takes place in between Chapters 9 and 10 of the original story.

**Chapter Four: The Grandest Stage Of All**

The day was finally here...Wrestlemania XXV, in Richmond, Virginia Mickie sat in her dressing room a bundle of nerves. It wasn't because of her match; she was scripted to win that...it was **1)** because of the main event at the end of the evening, and **2)** because her husband - whom she hadn't seen or heard from in almost a month - wasn't with her on one of the most important nights in the sports entertainment business.

She jumped when a knock sounded at the door. "Excuse me, Mrs. Armistead?" a backstage tech called out, and Mickie's heart skipped a beat when she heard him address her as such, "I have a message for you."

Mickie went to the door, opened it, and took the envelope from the tech. Heading back to the sofa, she noticed the familiar handwriting on the envelope, tore it open to get to the message within, and nearly sobbed with relief on seeing her husband's handwriting:

_Hello, Sweetheart,_

_ I guess I should begin with asking how you are. I know it's kinda nonchalant of me after I don't contact you for nearly a month, but I'm not really good - like many guys - at begging for forgiveness from the one person who means more to them than anyone or anything else in the world._

_ About the thing with Taylor...forget it; I already have. Suffice to say, I hear there's someone new on the roster that's giving him pure hell for bothering you, so I consider the matter water under the bridge. I saw that Corbin's gonna be in a Hell In A Cell match tonight...poor bastard, I actually feel kinda sorry for him._

_ Please forgive me, Darlin'...I can't stand being apart from you anymore, and I'm kickin' myself for it because I'm the one that put us in this set of circumstances in the first place. Bottom line: I still love you with all my heart, and I'll be back with you soon. Give everyone my kindest regards, and wish them luck in their matches tonight._

_Yours Forever,_

_Luke_

A smile slowly spread over the Women's Champ's face as she read the note. Sighing, she sat back on the sofa and lost herself in fond memories of her marriage...of how she'd tried her hand at cooking a large meal for the first time - which had turned out disastrously - and how Luke had bravely tried everything on his plate and claimed it was the best meal he'd ever eaten just to keep her from breaking down in tears.

At the sweet gesture, she'd gotten up from her place at the table, scraped both plates and all the pots and pans into the garbage disposal, left the dishes in the sink to soak, and pulled her husband upstairs to burn off quite a bit of energy. Dinner that night was ordered from a pizza place that stayed open late.

Another fond memory was when Hunter, Shawn, Luke, John, Matt, Jeff, and Dave had all surprised their significant others with tickets to a performance at the Sydney Opera House when the WWE had gone on its Australian tour. It was such a sweet gesture that showed the Divas that their happiness apparently took precedence over everything.

The performance had been for _The Barber of Seville_, and the reactions between the male superstars had been varied. Dave hadn't wanted to go, but appeared to have liked the music that went along with the performance. It was obvious that Luke, John, Matt, and Jeff's tastes in music differed greatly from this type of music, but they endured the performance for their girls.

DX's reactions had been the funniest; they'd bragged they'd seen the gist of the opera already - having apparently downloaded a seven-and-a-half-minute video clip onto Shawn's laptop - and spent most of the performance pouting after finding out Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd weren't going to make an appearance like in the Warner Brothers cartoon _The Rabbit of Seville_. The girls had a thoroughly enjoyable evening out, and upon return to the hotel, Mickie, at least, made sure she'd sufficiently thanked Luke before going to sleep.

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Mickie was jarred from her thoughts by a backstage tech knocking on the door and informing her that the Women's Championship match was next. After going out in front nearly 70,000 fans and successfully defending her title, Mickie returned backstage to find a group of ecstatic Divas waiting for her.

"You did it, girl!" Candice enthused, hugging her friend. "We're so happy for you!"

"That's not the only good thing that's happened tonight," Mickie smiled. "Come see what I got earlier."

She led the group of Divas to her locker room, pulled out the letter from Armistead, and read it. When she finished, a collective 'aww' resounded from the group.

"That is so sweet!" Maria exclaimed, and the others nodded.

The girls were interrupted by John knocking on the door and calling to them that Dave's match against Edge for the World Heavyweight title was next. The girls left Mickie's locker room and headed over to the guys' locker room to watch the rest of the pay-per-view. Everyone cheered when Batista stood triumphant over the Rated-R Superstar, and applauded both contestants when Hunter dropped the WWE title back to John.

Then the screen cut to J.R. and The King, who announced that the final match - the Hell In A Cell match - was next. The cameras then cut to a shot of Corbin Taylor heading to the gorilla position, the expression on his face similar to that of a prisoner being led to the electric chair. He made his entrance first - with the referee on the outside of the cell being forced to order him into the cage - before awaiting his opponent.

Instead of the usual fiery in-ring entrance, the S.O.D. made the walk down the ramp for the first time, accompanied by his new entrance theme: _Stitch In Time_ by Genitorturers. He got into the ring and fixed Taylor with his evil, yellow-eyed stare as the door was shut, chained, and padlocked.

The bell rang, and Taylor - wisely - decided to go on the offensive first, landing several good punches on his opponent before the Son of Darkness brought his arms up, brushed Taylor's aside, and laid him out with a massive right hook. Taylor staggered back briefly, but quickly launched himself back at the S.O.D., only to be met by a hand around his throat, resulting in a chokeslam that shook the ring and made even the refs cringe at the force of impact.

Backstage, every male superstar watching the match let out an 'Ooohh!', a 'Damn!', or a 'Bet that hurt!' at the move. Taylor's screams of pain as his spine met the mat were clearly audible, as was the S.O.D.'s sadistic, demonic laugh that quickly followed.

Back in the ring, Taylor writhed in extreme pain on the mat while the S.O.D. merely climbed the ropes and squatted on the top rope, resting his lower back against the steel cage and watching Taylor like some sort of demonic vulture. The second Taylor made it to his feet, the S.O.D. stood and jumped at him like a pouncing raptor, grabbing Taylor's neck on the way down and slamming him face-first into the mat, while at the same time landing on his own left shoulder and merely rolling out of the move and onto his feet again.

"Oh, shit!" John yelled. "Did you guys just see that?!"

"I'm never getting in the ring with that psycho...never," Chris Jericho vowed. "Moves like he's doing are career-enders for the recipients."

"He did say he wanted Taylor to leave the WWE and never return," Matt pointed out.

"At this point, the guy's gonna be lucky to walk out of there," Chris replied.

Everyone watched as a now-enraged Taylor got to his feet, slid out of the ring, and grabbed a chair, managing to slide back in the ring and clock the S.O.D. in the head before said individual could block the move. The demonic wrestler went down in a heap, lying flat like a corpse. Taylor smirked, dropped the chair, and went to climb out of the cell.

He was about midway up the side wall when the S.O.D. sat up like Dracula at sunset - or like Kane and The Undertaker were also known to do - and turned a pissed-off glare on the unsuspecting young man. The crowd cheered upon seeing the S.O.D. sit up, but Taylor foolishly ignored them and continued climbing.

"Oh, Corbin...look behind you..." Triple H grinned when he saw the S.O.D. sit up.

The S.O.D. raised his hands and brought them down, and the lights in the arena went out. When they finally came back up, Taylor was halfway out one of the top escape hatches...with the S.O.D. standing on the top of the cage waiting for him.

"Uh-oh," Shawn muttered.

Taylor, thinking the crowd's wild cheering was for him escaping, grinned conceitedly at the crowd and extended his arm to wave to them. He got the shock of his life when the S.O.D. grabbed it and pulled him onto the top of the cage like a rag doll and then grabbed him around the throat.

"Here it comes!" John yelled as the S.O.D. picked up a panicking Taylor and chokeslammed him.

The force of Taylor's impact made one of the top panels in the cell give way, sending Taylor through the top of the cell and slamming onto the mat below, with the S.O.D.'s demonic laughter following him all the way down. The crowd went wild, and backstage, every Diva either turned away or clamped her hand over her mouth in shock, while every male superstar was on his feet, yelling at the television.

"Oh, shit!" Randy gaped. "Straight through the cell into the ring...I'll be stunned if he didn't break something!"

Every other superstar agreed with either him or with J.R., who was screaming over and over, "Great God Almighty!"

The lights went down again, and when they came back up, the S.O.D. was again standing in the ring, waiting for Taylor to get up. Shockingly, the young man staggered slowly to his feet, and the minute he did, the S.O.D. grabbed his right arm and painfully twisted it.

The young man's screams of pain could be heard from the television as the S.O.D. climbed onto the top rope and walked on it just like The Undertaker before jumping off and slamming his closed fist down on Taylor's upper arm.

"Did you see that? Vintage Undertaker-type stuff!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I'd be surprised if Mark didn't train this guy," Matt muttered.

Back in the ring, Taylor was now cradling his right arm, paying more attention to that than he was his opponent. Seconds later, he was grabbed by the S.O.D. and whipped across the ring, where he bounced off the ropes and was met by a Kane-style boot to the face, sending him sprawling on the mat.

"That's one of Glen's signature moves!" Jeff pointed out. "I bet he helped train this guy, too."

The S.O.D. picked up Taylor by the hair and dragged him over to the side of the cage, slamming him face-first into the chain link wall and then proceeding to drag Taylor's face back and forth across the surface, laughing demonically as the young man struggled and yelled in pain.

After going back and forth four times, Taylor's face was cut up badly, and blood was everywhere. The S.O.D. released the young man, who staggered back and swayed on his feet.

His opponent waited only a few seconds before climbing the ropes again, crouching on the top turnbuckle, and then launching himself at his opponent, a familiar banshee wail accompanying the move. As Mickie and the rest of the backstage group watched in astonishment, Taylor was laid out once again, this time by Armistead's signature move.

_"A Stuka-Cross Combo...a nod to the Richmond Rebel!"_ J.R.'s voice cried from ringside as the crowd went wild.

The S.O.D. stared down at the motionless Corbin Taylor before reaching up and suddenly pulling on his red-skinned face.

"What you doing, mon? Pin him!" Kofi yelled at the television.

"It looks like he's pulling his face off...what the hell?" Randy asked, totally confused.

Sure enough, it appeared that the terrifying Darth Maul-like countenance of the S.O.D. was nothing more than a really good latex mask. As it was pulled off, the S.O.D. was revealed to be none other than...

_"MY GOD!"_ J.R. yelled, _"It's Luke Armistead!"_

_"Ha-ha! The Richmond Rebel returns!"_ King echoed happily.

Armistead tossed his S.O.D. mask aside and covered Taylor for the pin, nodding his head with each count.

"1...2...3!" More than 70,000 fans counted Armistead's greatest victory yet...and Corbin Taylor's downfall.

Disturbed's _I'm Alive_ blared throughout the arena as Lillian, a wide smile on her face, happily announced,

"Here is your winner, the Richmond's own, Luke Armistead!"

The crowd went wild as Armistead climbed onto the corner and flashed his signature hand signal even as J.R.'s voice came from ringside.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, this has truly been a night to remember...The Animal has gone back to the top of the food chain, The Champ is here again, and the Rated-R era has ended, but nothing...absolutely __nothing__ has been more shocking than the return of the Richmond Rebel, Luke Armistead! Good night, ladies and gentlemen, from Wrestlemania XXV!"_

**UP NEXT:** Can the Armisteads resolve their problems? What will the rest of the roster say about Armistead's plan? Some humor's also up next, so R&R!


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

**Chapter Five: Reunion**

The group in the locker room sat stunned as Armistead pinned Taylor and celebrated with the fans. Then, as one, every face turned to Mickie, whose jaw was practically on the floor.

When she noticed everyone staring at her, she shook her head in amazement. "Don't look at me...I had no idea it was him! That note I received tonight was the first contact I've had from him in a month!"

She stormed from the locker room, the rest of the Divas worriedly following after her.

The silence after the girls' departure was broken by Shawn's cell phone alerting him he had a new text message. The Heartbreak Kid reached over and accessed it, and grinned when he read it.

"Speaking of Luke," he said, "I just got a text from him...he wants all the guys to meet him at the house in two hours. Everybody up for it?"

"Hell yeah!" John enthused. "Ain't no way I'ma miss this!" Nods were received from the others as well.

Two hours later, the group of male superstars found themselves outside the Armistead residence. The outside lights were on, and the Richmond Rebel himself was sitting on the deck, waiting for them.

"C'mon up, gentlemen, and grab a beer and a seat," he greeted.

As the guys did so - save for Phil, who politely declined a beer - the growl of a customized pickup truck and a motorcycle were heard, and soon the same two vehicles pulled into the driveway behind John's car, Dave's Navigator, and Jeff's Hummer H2. About a minute later, the group was joined by Glen Jacobs and Mark Callaway. Armistead rose and shook their hands.

"Ah, the two people who helped train me in some of the moves I did tonight. My thanks for your help, gentlemen...grab a beer and a seat."

After Glen and Mark sat down, Armistead took his own seat again, propped his feet up on the coffee table, and took a drag from his Miller longneck. When he saw everyone looking at him, he grinned.

"Didn't I tell you I had a plan to make that bastard pay?"

His remark broke the ice, and Hunter and Shawn both grinned at him.

"I gotta tell you, man...that was one helluva match tonight." John said.

"Wouldn't have been able to do half of it without training from Mark and Glen," Armistead replied. "They helped a lot."

The group sat around talking and drinking for a while before John brought up the topic most of the guys had been wondering about, but didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

"So what about you and Mickie? Where does this leave you?"

Armistead shrugged. "I'm sure she told y'all about the letter I sent her earlier tonight...if she was to come here tonight wanting to talk things out, I'd take her back, no question. Like I've said before...it was a case of mistaken identity compounded by the effects of alcohol, so there's really nothing for me to forgive her for. She's still my Angel Eyes, and I love her more than anyone else on this planet."

"She's your Angel Eyes? Aww, how cute!" Jeff teased.

"You shouldn't tease him, bro," Matt cautioned. "I seem to remember Ashley telling me something about Candice and her 'Little High Flyer'."

The rest of the group snickered while Jeff turned to his older brother. "Why?" he asked.

Matt shrugged. "I just like ragging on you, bro...besides, you can't get me back; Ashley doesn't have a cutsey nickname for me."

Jeff glowered at his brother while Dave agreed with Matt. "Lillian's the same way with me; the only nickname I get is 'babe' or 'honey'...nothing personalized."

"Stacy's the same way," Randy grudgingly put in. "Although she keeps trying to come up with a nickname for me. I just keep praying it's one that won't make people laugh so hard they piss their pants if she uses it in public."

"Steph and I are past the cutsey nickname stage," Hunter said, while Shawn agreed. "So are Rebecca and I."

"Torrie calls me her 'Straight-Edge Hunk'," Phil grinned. "It's dorky, I know, but she likes it, so I go along with it."

John smirked. "I like the nickname 'Ria calls me...I'm her 'Italian Stallion'."

"So Cena, if you're a 'Stallion' when you've been good, does she call you a horse's ass when she's pissed at you?" Chris Jericho smirked, causing John to glare at him while the rest of the group laughed.

"What's your deal, Y2J?" John asked. "I seen you on the flight down to Richmond, all cozy with Kelly Kelly. What's up with that?"

Every eye turned to Chris, who rolled his eyes. "All right, fine...we've been together since Randy and I fought Luke and Kofi about five weeks ago. She helped me to the locker room that night, we got to talking, and it took off from there." He smiled. "She's a really great person."

At that moment, his phone rang, and he pulled it out and looked at the screen, grinning when he saw who it was.

"Speaking of whom..." he pressed the speaker button. "Hey, sweetie...what's up?"

_"Nothin',"_ came his blonde girlfriend's voice. _"Are you at Luke's with everyone else?"_

"Yeah, why?" Chris asked uncertainly.

_"Good, 'cause that's where we're headed...we're gonna crash your party. The girls are coming over to collect their guys so we can leave Mickie and Luke alone."_

"Ok, I'll see you soon," Y2J replied. "Bye, sweetie."

_"Kisses, Mr. Sparkles,"_ was the reply. Chris turned beet red and the rest of the group burst out laughing.

"I had you on speakerphone, Barb," Chris muttered, totally mortified. "I'll talk to you when you get here." He hurriedly disconnected the call and hung his head in his hands while the rest of the group laughed themselves silly.

"Mr. Sparkles!" Jeff gasped through his laughter. "That's priceless!"

Chris glowered at him before turning his glare on John, who was laughing so hard he couldn't speak. The Champ was lying on the floor, red-faced and convulsing from laughter. He managed to control himself long enough to sit up and wipe tears from his eyes, but the moment he looked at Chris he started laughing again.

"Are you finished, Cena?" Chris growled after about two more minutes of Cena laughing.

"Ye...hahaha!...yeah," The Champ got off the floor and wiped his eyes before reaching for his beer again.

"Nice nickname, Jericho," Mark teased. "Glad I'm not you."

"Oh really?" Glen grinned at his 'brother'. "Why don't you tell them your nickname?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," The Phenom quickly replied.

"Who gave you a nickname, 'Taker?" Jeff asked.

Glen grinned at the group. "His secret 'All-American' girlfriend."

At the mention of the phrase 'All-American', Dave turned to Mark and grinned. "I don't believe it...Michelle McCool?"

Mark nodded reluctantly. "We're trying to keep it quiet for now, but yes."

"That's great, man," John replied. "Congratulations."

The Undertaker inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Thanks." He turned back to Glen. "She doesn't have a nickname for me and you know it."

The evil grin remained on Glen's face. "Oh, my mistake...she must be referring to someone else when she talks about her 'Big Growly Cuddle-Bear'."

The entire group dissolved in fits of laughter. John fell off his seat and banged his fists on the deck. Randy nearly wet his pants. Chris fell over and kicked his feet in the air. Dave smacked his fist against the armrest of his chair, and Matt and Jeff both held their sides in pain they were laughing so hard. Hunter and Shawn both giggled like schoolgirls and pointed at The Phenom, while Armistead merely grinned.

Mark glowered at Glen. "Thank you for sharing that...you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Glen grinned back. "Anytime," he replied.

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The group laughed some more at Mark's expense and joked around until more cars were heard pulling into the driveway.

"There's the girls," Jeff stated getting to his feet. "I dunno about the rest of you guys, but I wanna get back to the hotel and have some real fun with my girlfriend."

"Good idea, man," John agreed, standing as well. "I think 'Ria's gonna wanna celebrate me winning the title back."

Chris snorted derisively. "Looks like the 'Italian Stallion''s become a tamed pony...he can't stand to be away from his wife for more than a couple hours."

"Shut up, Sparkles," John shot back, causing everyone else to laugh at the mention of Chris's nickname. Y2J glowered at the WWE Champion for bringing it back up.

Any further joking around was cut short when the group heard footsteps coming up to the porch, and then they were joined by the Divas, all of whom gravitated to their respective significant others, save for Michelle, who gave Mark a quick furtive glance, but otherwise hung back.

Armistead grinned at her. "We know, Michelle...Glen told us about Mark's nickname."

At the mention of this, Mark rolled his eyes, Glen grinned, and the rest of the Divas - once they caught on as to what Armistead was talking about - started giggling.

One by one, the Divas herded their significant others down to the cars. Hunter, Shawn, and Glen remained seated; Glen was single and Hunter and Shawn's wives weren't with the group. They remained unnoticed until Michelle looked expectantly at Glen, who rolled his eyes and reluctantly headed down to his bike, with Michelle herding Mark close behind him.

DX still remained seated, grinning at seeing Glen obeying Michelle without question. However, they snapped to when Lillian, Candice, and Maria began pushing them down the stairs with Dave, Jeff, and John. Armistead could hear Hunter's and Shawn's indignant protests even as they got into their cars. He stood on the porch and watched as the cars pulled out of the driveway and drove off before cleaning up the empty bottles and heading inside himself.

After shutting off the outside lights and then the kitchen lights, Armistead walked into the den, where he found his wife sitting on the sofa, staring into the lit fireplace and stroking Lady's fur. The Sheltie raised her head and thumped her tail upon seeing Armistead in the doorway, but Mickie showed no sign of even recognizing his presence. Shoring his reserve, Armistead took a seat beside her, but put enough space between them so as not to make Mickie feel uncomfortable. He was still trying to think of how to begin when his wife spoke first.

"Everyone leave?"

Armistead nodded. "They all went back to the hotel...most of them wanted to celebrate wins and whatnot." He sighed and paused briefly before speaking again. "I take it you got the letter I sent to you this evening?"

For the first time, she turned and faced him. "Yeah, I did...it was really sweet. All the girls liked it."

Armistead rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "So nice to know my romantic prowess is appreciated by so many."

Mickie allowed a ghost of a smile to appear on her face briefly before looking into Armistead's eyes with a serious expression on her face. "I came to talk to you the day you were sitting out by the lake, playing your guitar, and I heard you sing _Best I Can_. All the girls were with me, and they heard it too."

Armistead raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Huh...I gave my first concert and didn't even know about it. Not to get off the subject, but what'd everybody think?"

"I think you made Candice, Ashley, Maria, and Lillian cry with that song," Mickie replied, before glancing over and mock-glaring at Capn' Jack's now-covered cage. "That crazy bird of yours kept flirting with the girls, too...he told Barbie that 'Blondes have more fun', he called Maria a 'feisty redhead', and told Ashley 'rock on, baby'. Exactly what did you teach him while I've been gone?"

"Nothing!" Armistead protested his innocence. "He must get all that stuff from TV!"

Mickie rolled her eyes and smiled at Armistead's incredibly-weak explanation for his bird's boorish behavior before looking at him seriously again.

"Just answer me one question, Luke: Did you mean it when you sang that one line in the song: 'I'm never gonna fall in love again, the way I love you.'?"

Armistead leaned over and whispered his answer in her ear, laying his Southern accent on heavy. "Always, Darlin'...always."

Any further conversation was lost in brief apologies and words of affection murmured in between deep passionate kisses as the newly-reunited couple made their way out of the den and upstairs.

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Ten Months Later

The WWE was doing a tri-branded show in Richmond, and Jeff Hardy had just scored a pinfall over Edge when suddenly HBK's entrance theme blared through the arena, the crowd going wild as usual. The Heartbreak Kid stood at the top of the ramp, grinning at the crowd, before looking at the ring, where Jeff stood looking confused. Even Edge stopped his trek up the ramp to look at Shawn.

"Sorry to interrupt, Jeff, but I have a news bulletin that everyone would want to know." He held up his cell phone. "Not five minutes ago, I got a text message from Richmond's own Luke Armistead."

The crowd went wild again at the mention of Armistead's name as Shawn grinned at their reaction before continuing. "Now, unfortunately, neither he nor his lovely wife, Mickie James, are here tonight, but they have a good reason for being absent. Approximately twenty minutes ago, Roberta Lee Armistead was born at one of the local hospitals."

As the arena thundered with applause and cheers, Shawn grinned at the camera. "Luke, Mickie, I'm sure you guys are watching, so congratulations from your WWE family and all your fans." As the applause continued, Jeff stood on the turnbuckle and led the audience in applause. The camera even caught Edge applauding, albeit grudgingly.

The couple in question did indeed see the message, and shortly thereafter their hospital room was packed with their fellow wrestlers and Divas, several of whom had left the arena before their scheduled matches. DX - of course - fell into this category, and Vince was not pleased at all to find a white rooster crowing away in a cage on his desk along with a note that read:

_Gone to the hospital to see Mickie and Luke, but as you can see, we left you a friend. :)_

_Play Nice!_

_- Hunter & Shawn_

But his vow of revenge was lost in the shuffle - not that DX would've cared had they heard it, mind you - as most of his star employees congratulated the proud parents and fawned over the newest member of the WWE family.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:** Well, there's the conclusion to this story. Sorry I haven't updated in so long; the library was being incredibly anal about allowing me to use disks I brought from home. But I snuck some disks in and posted chapters just for you guys...ain't I sweet for doing that? For those of you who are fans of my story _Dress Whites & Divas_, don't worry; I haven't forgotten about it...I'm working on the next chapter. And watch for another WWE-themed story next month!

**R&R!**


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